


I Think I Was In Heaven

by Arytra



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Time Force
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 04:57:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2336078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arytra/pseuds/Arytra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex died before time changed.  It affected him, changed him, and left him a different person.  But why?</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Think I Was In Heaven

**Author's Note:**

> "So that's my refrain  
> I live in hell, 'cuz I've been expelled from heaven  
> I think I was in heaven" - Buffy Summers

Alex had died. He knew this. He hadn’t survived the attack by Ransik and the world faded as he watched Jen race off to save the day, knowing she’d handle it if she remember to ask for help. The darkness stayed for a few minutes and then shifted suddenly. The light nearly hurt his eyes when it appears from the dark and a beautiful garden appeared instead. It seemed far reaching and filled with different species, but he instinctually headed toward the center or rather what felt like the center to him. With how large the place was, it probably wasn’t really anywhere near the middle. The other residents gave pauses and smiles when they saw him before going back to their activities. As he reached his destination, he gave pause as he looked out at the people before him.

A lifetime of study toward Power Rangers told him what he needed to know. He recognized Ninja Storm and Dino Thunder playing a weird version of tag using all their Powers against an annoyed Trent Fernadez who was unfortunately it. All of them were trying to stay away from things he could camouflage into. In another section, Lightspeed Rescue talked and laughed while Carter Greyson stayed a bit further away, still involved but watching over them. Cole Evans was curled up against a bemused Taylor Earhardt who was trying to read, but every so often he watched her hand slip down to comb through his hair protectively. He might have kept looking but the man coming toward him forced him out of his thoughts. “I’m Jason,” he said, putting his hand out. “Mighty Morphin Red.”

“Alexander Collins. Time Force Red,” he answered, trying not to be wowed. He knew that Jason was the first human Red Ranger. He knew better than to think he was the first ever as he had had an Aquitian friend who reminded him that her planet had had Rangers for longer and a roommate that he was fond of who was Eltarian and supposedly related to Zordon in some way. Not to mention that his chemistry partner in school had been Edenoite and assured him that their planet had created assistants for the mentors of Ranger Teams for far longer than Earth had even dreamed of Rangers. That said, it was still amazing for him to meet precursor to himself.

“Nice to meet you,” Jason said. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but why don’t you relax and take some time to look around.”

“I’ll show him.” Alex turned to look at the voice and was surprised to see himself looking back. No, not himself. There were definite differences. The man was grinning at him. “Wes Collins.”

Alex gave a slight nod. “Ancestor?”

Wes nodded. “From 2001.”

Alex nodded in confusion, but shrugged it off. He didn’t recognize the name as he did several of the others, but there was a lot of different teams. Further, it was clear that the Power didn’t care about planets nor times, so it probably didn’t care about timelines either. In a different timeline, perhaps Wes had gotten Powers that someone else had gotten in his timeline. Regardless, Alex followed him and found himself at peace. He missed Jen, of course, but if she had listened to him, it was only a matter of time before he saw her again. Instead, he found himself completely busy with the other Rangers, as if they knew he might get lonely without a team to share stuff with and were determined to stop it.

Dino Thunder insisted that he join in their games and promised not to use their powers which Ninja Storm joined in on and made the same agreement. He enjoyed relaxing next to Carter and struck up a deep friendship with the man as both of them had loved those under them, but could still retain control. Sky Tate, who he recognized and was immediately awed over had talked with him about several of the differences between SPD and Time Force as they jogged together in Heaven’s version of early morning. Kimberly had insisted that he joined her in target practice where he found her to be extremely adept with a bow as he matched her with a blaster. Antonio made jokes with him and showed him how to fish. Troy gave him small smiles and was always willing to talk. And it was all wonderful.

That peace shattered when the Power shifted and yanked him out, forcing him back into a time period he didn’t recognize without a team and with new memories of the shift. He was still reeling from it all when he found himself needing to watch over the Time Force Rangers in 2001. When he saw Wes among them, he knew. The bastard had known all along and never told him that he’d be forced to leave. He never told him that this was how Wes had become a Ranger. And the worst part is, he’d been yanked out of Heaven, not to be a Ranger again, but to oversee them and to be secretive, and to have to act like it was all in the plan. And really, he just wanted to go back to Heaven.

***

It took him a bit, but Alex did figure out that he’d been a complete jerk to his teammates and ancestor. It took even longer for him to realize that Wes couldn’t have told him when he had died because it would upset the timeline. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to forgive him, but after the other four returned, he found himself having to concentrate on other things anyway. In the years after the Time Force Rangers got back, Alex tried to make it up to all of them. It was slow going, but they all eventually got there. He couldn’t let them know what he had seen, but everything had seemed to shift when he found himself being embraced by Trip, who had tears running down his face and Alex realized that he’d forgotten to shield himself. He’d tried to apologize, but Trip was insistent that it was more important for him not to feel sad and lonely and depressed and his team was going to help with that.

Over thirty years, they had. When Katie hugged him, he was reminded of Kim’s enthusiasm. Laughing with Trip reminded him of the Dino Thunder and Ninja Storm Rangers. He talked shop with Lucas as he had with Sky. And it was as if both Carter and Wes were joining in on the conversation when he talked with Jen. Slowly, they became like a family and Alex understood what his friends in Heaven were trying to protect him from as he would have felt the loneliness and the pain if he’d had a team at the time. 

Families can’t stay together forever and no one knew this better than Alex. He’d mourned when they lost Lucas in a tragic car accident. He’d held Katie’s hand when the science that had given her super strength had inadvertently lowered her lifespan by ten years and the strong woman had looked painfully weak. Trip had had to hold him when Jen had lost her life on the job. But none of that was as horrifying as his last moments where the containment unit had been opened by someone, he never got to find out who, and one of the mutants had come gunning for Alex and Trip, catching them both off guard. At nearly sixty, he hadn’t had a chance.

He looked over, more worried about Trip than himself when he saw the younger man smiling. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Trip managed to get out. Alex looked puzzled until he realized that he was holding Trip’s hand, increasing the man’s abilities and he had always kept the thought of Heaven in his mind when his teammates were leaving him. He’d just gotten better at shielding it.

“Because we needed to live here,” he whispered back. Trip nodded and closed his eyes. Alex wanted to tell him to hold on, that help would get there, but he found himself doing the same. He heard their successors racing in, screaming for a medic, but it faded and Alex no longer heard them. Instead, he was greeted with Trip’s comforting thoughts and made sure to share the same with his youngest teammate. Each of them, instead of adding to the others’ panic, had given each other a blanket of tranquility. And as the darkness came, Alex waited.

This time, the light didn’t hurt his eyes and he was able to help Trip, who was still holding onto him. Once again, he walked through though there were several “Welcome Backs” in the midst of the activities. And this time, Jason was waiting for him, but so were the rest of his team and the friends he had made before: his family. Jason stepped to the side and Wes took a step forward, looking at Alex. “Welcome home,” he said quietly and pulled his descendant into a hug before doing the same to Trip. Alex didn’t feel the resentment any longer. He hadn’t in years. Going back had given him his own team and as Jen grinned at him, Lucas slapped his back, and Katie pulled him into one of her rib-shattering hugs, he realized that was worth holding off just a bit longer for paradise.


End file.
